Category Archives: Essentials

What’s New at Health Essentials This Spring: More Great Keto-Friendly Food Options!

Are you following a ketogenic diet? Are you trying to keep your diet low-carb? Do you simply appreciate great sugar-free and no-sugar-added food options?! Well, then you’ll LOVE these new foods we’ve got in this last month or so!

Laird Superfood Creamer – Dairy-free & Unsweetened

This awesome Superfood Creamer is simply amazing as an on the go addition to coffee, tea, smoothies or yogurt! It’s packed with nutritional ingredients including flavourful coconut milk powder, saturated-fat rich coconut oil, and Aquamin, derived from a red marine algae for added calcium and 72 other bio-available minerals! This blend was formulated by world-renowned big-wave surfer, Laird Hamilton. He is a fitness guru who has spent years perfecting ways to pack tons of nutrients into his busy, fitness filled days for sustained and focused energy! Each packet contains only 3g of total carbohydrates!

Suzie’s Goodfats Bars

These ridiculously delicious little bars are the perfect snack for long, busy days on the go, or as a treat after a long work day! PLUS, with less than 5g of net carbs per bar, no need to worry about falling out of ketosis. Believe us, you’ll be surprised at how much they taste like a treat. Available in Coconut Chocolate Chip, Mint Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Chocolate, and Almond Chocolate.

Barbecue season anyone? These next items are must haves for keto-friendly barbecues.

Crazy Mooskies – No Sugar Added Original or Spicy BBQ Sauce

Wait, you mean I can have BBQ sauce on a keto diet? YES! This one. With less than 1g of carbs, and 0g of sugar, this tasty gluten free barbecue sauce will have your burgers, steaks or chicken breasts tasting mouth-wateringly delicious!!

Crazy Mooskies Gourmet Tomato Ketchup

First BBQ sauce, now ketchup?! Um, yup. This DELICIOUS ketchup is actually a game changer. Who didn’t grow up thinking ketchup was the best sauce around? We sure did. Until we learned the amount of sugar in a serving of conventional ketchup. Let’s just say that this is the best darn thing we’ve seen in a while. Sweetened with stevia, this awesome natural ingredient ketchup has just 1g of naturally occurring sugar per 2 tbsp serving. #yes

Suzie’s Organic Yellow, Spicy Brown & Dijon Mustards

And of course, what good BBQ is complete without mustard?! We don’t think there’s any! This extremely clean and organic mustard has 0g of carbohydrates per serving, and it’s SO delicious. Plus, it’s made with all local ingredients from the Northwest, so you can feel great about supporting this awesome company, while also enjoying some of the best mustard we have ever tried!

(Grassfed) Butter 101

Butter – known traditionally as “Nature’s Multivitamin” – is definitely in high demand at Health Essentials. We definitely put that s*** on everything ;). But, like anything else amazing in this world… not all butter is created equal. In fact, there is definitely a plethora of butter on the market today that is best avoided altogether. Here, we’ll outline some of the major things to look for in a quality butter.

Why Grassfed?

Exactly how humans do better eating natural, whole-food derived diets made from seasonally available foods… animals that graze on pastures and eat the diet that they’re biologically designed to consume, have healthier, happier lives. AND just how humans do best in healthy, natural environments, so do animals! Grazing animals that live on pasture are allowed to eat the foods that their bodies NEED to thrive, and can soak in the environmental nutrients that keep them healthy as well – such as Vitamin D from the sun! The nutrient level of the foods that we consume from animals (such as meat and dairy) are of higher quality when the animal’s lives are enriched and healthy. Real, LIVE grass that grows out of the ground and isn’t treated with pesticides or chemicals provides animals with the nutrients that they need to thrive. Herbivorous animals (those who consume grass) have fermentation-based digestive systems that depend on grass, specifically, to fuel them and keep them healthy. Ensuring that animals get what they need to be healthy helps to ensure that the dairy and meat we consume from them are full of nutrients as well. Thus, the quality of the animal’s diet = the quality and quantity nutrients in the foods we derive from them.

Butter that is derived from grassfed cows is generally higher in nutrients such as butyrate, omega 3’s, CLA, beta-carotene, fat soluble vitamins – A, D, E & K, and antioxidants. It also tends to be LOWER in toxins. This is because toxins often accumulate in the fat tissues of animals, so the healthier the animal producing the milk, the less toxins to worry about!

Grassfed versus Seasonally Pastured

“Grassfed” is a term thrown around quite loosely in today’s food market. Its meaning is rather straight forward, however, there are multiple levels of it. Here’s why: As soon as an animal spends ANY length of time grazing on fresh grass, it technically qualifies them to be considered “grassfed”. Like… that could be a day in their whole life, which in our books just doesn’t quite cut it on the quality side of things. So, what’s important to look for is the specification of TIME that the animal spends grazing.

(Real) Grassfed Butter

Provided that the farms who produce this butter are reputable and the sourcing is fabulous, this butter is generally the best of the best. The cows who produce this butter are eating a wholesome and natural diet and their milk production reflects this.

We carry two main Grassfed Butter Options:

Golden Ears Grassfed Butter:

Golden Ears butter is sourced locally in Maple Ridge, B.C. from a family farm. This butter is cultured, meaning that it contains healthy bacteria that can improve the digestion of the butter. This can help the digestion process in people who are sensitive to dairy. With somewhat limited seasonal availability, we try to stock as much of this gold as possible so that everyone can enjoy it for most of the year! This butter has a very distinct yellow colour, and rich flavour due to the high beta-carotene content from the grassfed milk! #delicious

Kiwi Pure Butter:

Kiwi Pure butter is sourced from New Zealand dairy where there is plenty of grass to go around all year! New Zealand is actually known to have the best butter in the world, and this butter definitely stands up to that title! Kiwi Pure is consistently golden yellow all year, denoting both high beta-carotene content and high fat content! #yum

Seasonally Pastured Butter

Seasonally Pastured animals are grazing and consuming real grass for a minimum of 60% of their diet. This means that for up to 40% of the time they can be consuming some form of grains to supplement their diet. When shopping for seasonally pastured butter, it’s important to look for the “Organic” certification, and/or choose to buy that particular butter during “grazing” seasons.

We carry two great Canadian-sourced options for Seasonally Pastured butter:

Organic Meadows Butter

Organic meadows butter is sourced from Ontario, Canada. It is an Organic Seasonally Pastured butter. The cows that produce this butter are on pasture from April – November most years. It’s also a cultured butter, which is great for those who are a bit dairy sensitive. A few times of the year, we’re able to get in this butter with a special badge on it denoting that it’s sourced from 100% pastured cows!! We are sure to stock up on this butter at those times of the year to help ensure there’s enough to go around even into the off-season.

L’ancetre Butter

L’Ancetre butter is another seasonally pastured option. The cows that produce the milk used for this butter graze for 60% of their diet on pasture. The other 40% of their diet consists of Organic grains. This 60:40 ratio is guaranteed at any time of the year, and since its produced in Quebec with a typical grazing season of April – October, this butter can be a great choice throughout the spring and summer months.

P.S. If you’re lactose or dairy sensitive, and you’d like to learn about an alternative, check out this post about Grassfed Ghee, which is clarified butter! 🙂

For more information on the butter options that we carry, or for clarification of any of the information in this post, please feel free to contact us! 🙂 Our phone number is 250-590-5524, and our email is hello@myhealthessentials.ca

The Easter Bunny is on it’s way, and we wanted to share with you some of our go-to Easter Hunt Essentials. We have compiled a list of sweet and savoury treats that anybunny can appreciate!

Heavenly Organics Honey Patties

These sustainable, organic and ethically produced treats are full of delicious raw honey. You can’t go wrong with the creamy dark chocolate coating and the sweet raw honey filling. #whatsnottolove They come in Mint, Almond Butter, Peanut Butter and Double Dark Chocolate varieties, all of which are DELICIOUS and made with 4 or less ingredients! We think that this is the ultimate sweet treat for all ages, and they’re also individually wrapped, making them easy for the Easter Bunny to hide!

Denman Island Chocolate Bunnies

Denman Island Chocolate Bunnies are definitely a crowd favourite when it comes to Easter time!! They come in the size pictured, as well as baby bunny size and are all individually wrapped :). These sweet and creamy chocolatey treats are made with fine Organic cacao, and are a rich 63% dark chocolate. They’re also made locally on Denman Island, B.C!

Terra Nossa Pasture Raised Eggs

If Easter Chocolates are just not all they’re cracked up to be for you…. You could always go for the old-school, extremely fun for the whole family, nutritious AND sugarless option – REAL eggs. We carry a variety of different sizes of local, pasture-raised eggs from Terra Nossa Farm. 🙂 These babies can be decorated however you wish, and hidden for anybunny to have a blast finding as well!! #twicethefun

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn

Find Your Tribe.

Think about the 5 people who you spend the most time with right now.Chances are, whether you like it or not, you have a lot in common with these 5 people.

Building a Tribe: Three Key Steps

First, let’s start with a definition:

tribe – a social division in a society consisting of families or
communities linked by social ties with a common culture.
(…give or take paraphrased version applied to modern day)

1) Do some serious self-reflection.

It may be necessary to evaluate yourself and where you stand in the current friend-group you have, and think about whether these people are serving you in a positive way. Of course having an eclectic friend group is totally acceptable, and is very much encouraged. But, if you love to hike, and be in nature, and all of your friends only like to Netflix and chill…. it may be time to switch, or expand your tribe to include some outdoor lovers!

2) Get yourself out there into the right group.

It is important to build a tribe based on interests. If you love hiking, join a hiking group! If you love running, join a running group! If you love painting, or pottery, or art, join a class or group, they are offered all over Victoria. This part is kind of the hardest, but don’t be discouraged… It’s important to realize that everyone is human, and chances are, there are people looking to meet others and make new connections in any given group out there! 🙂

3) Keep in Touch!

If you already have a really great group of family or friends to do all of the things you love with, that is awesome! Reach out, and plan some activities :). If you’re just building your tribe, all the more reason to reach out. Make some plans, build relationships and connections!

Have a great Family Day!!!

Icebreaker Merino Wool Fall Winer Line 2016 – ON SALE NOW!

Why Icebreaker? – The Company

Icebreaker Merino Wool is made from only THE BEST Merino wool sourced from New Zealand. The company works directly with the farms to assure the highest quality of life for the sheep, the most sustainable farming practices for the land, and of course, the production of the most premium wool possible.

Why Icebreaker? – The Garments

Merino wool is naturally thermoregulating, making it a miracle fibre that keeps you warm in the cold winter months, and cool in the heat of summer! Merino is also naturally antibacterial, odour resistant and extremely hypoallergenic. To be honest, we’ve yet to think of a scenario where Icebreaker Merino wouldn’t be the ideal fabric choice!

Why Icebreaker? – Why not?!

It’s a better time than ever to come in and check out our Icebreaker Merino Selection!

Right now, you can save up to 40% off of our Icebreaker 2016 Line, as we clear out the fall/winter styles to make room for the spring/summer 2017 line! There is still plenty of time to get some use out of the winter styles here on the wet West Coast! So come down and try some on today. Hurry, cause the offer is only valid while supplies last!

New Years Eve TipsSpend the First Day of 2017 Healthy

Maybe you’re the type that thinks a hangover’s worth the party, or maybe you’re the type that thinks the party ISN’T worth the hangover… Whatever the case, we want to help you get prepared to have the best of both worlds this New Years Eve! With these tips, you’ll be able to let loose and have a couple drinks, without the misery of a hangover.*

1. Prepare:

You may have heard of this awesome “magical” capsule before. Or, you may have wondered if such a thing exists. Well, it does! This amazing herbal blend works wonders when it comes to preventing hangover symptoms. Himalaya’s Party Smart capsules contain a unique blend of 6 different herbs that support the liver. How does it work within the body? When we drink alcohol, our liver converts it into acetaldehyde. This is the main culprit behind the nasty hangover symptoms we all know and HATE such as headaches, nausea, fatigue and irritability. When Party Smart is consumed with one’s first drink it helps the liver to break down and rid of the acetaldehyde build up quicker so it doesn’t stay in our system so long!

Hydration is Key:

Most people know as a rule of thumb, that staying hydrated is a fantastic way to ensure adequate health post-drinking. Hydration is important to be aware of BEFORE drinking alcohol. Regardless of how careful you’re going to be, drinking alcohol is going to dehydrate your cells. If you’re starting from a state of proper hydration, however, you’ll be in a far better place to ensure you’re rehydrated before the night is through! Be sure to consume lots of water throughout the day before your drinking festivities begin!

Eat a Nourishing Meal Before Drinking:

It’s hard to say which foods specifically are going to help “prevent” hangover symptoms, but it certainly makes sense to think that nourishing your body before you consume alcohol is beneficial in many ways to ensure your system is working efficiently. You’re about to embark on a liver destroying endeavour… consider consuming liver this evening. Eating liver is GREAT for your liver! Not down with liver? Well, it may even be correct to say that it doesn’t matter exactly WHICH foods you choose to eat prior to alcohol consumption, but rather that they are of high quality sourcing, prepared in a digestible manner and are in fact consumed BEFORE the alcohol! You’re already going to be loading your system with the alcohol bit, may as well help that digestive system out in other ways :).

2. Make Informed Drink Choices :

Sugar is NOT Your Friend:

Not to say that alcohol in itself isn’t bad for you in excessive quantities, but perhaps the real bad guy in the world of nasty hangovers is sugar. When you drink alcohol, your body becomes dehydrated, and your blood-sugar levels fluctuate, therefore your internal organs such as the liver, are taxed dramatically When you throw sugar in the mix, no pun intended ;), you tax your body further by increasing dehydration of cells AND off-balancing your blood sugar levels. Dehydration and blood sugar imbalance are definitely the perfect recipe for a disastrous hangover, making alcohol and sugar the dynamic duo to avoid!

Have a Shot of Water Between Drinks:

As stated above, staying hydrated is a crucial piece to ensuring your “tomorrow” brings with it a hope for health. When you consume alcohol, your body is triggered to stop absorbing as much water. You’ve probably noticed that you have to urinate more while drinking… this is because your body needs to get rid of what you’re putting in it, and it in turn gets rid of the water with it! It is important to rehydrate throughout the evening in between drinks.

Our Drink of Choice:

Why is this our drink of choice? Is it, like, healthy or something? As far as the umbrella of popular mixed drinks is concerned, this spin on a conventional Gin & Tonic may be one of the best options for helping you feel great in the AM. Here’s why:

Gin is a clear alcohol, which is generally a better option due to lower concentrations of toxins. Darker alcohols have higher amounts of mycotoxins that put more strain on the body to filter out, and can contribute to some of the nasty hangover symptoms. Victoria Gin is hand crafted locally, right where we live, and… we LOVE supporting local.

Using a “tonic” such as Saint-Justin’s Mineral Water is far better than using plain soda water. This is because unlike soda water, it contains natural minerals. Saint-Justin is unique in that they source all of their water in Quebec, and it LITERALLY COMES OUT OF THE GROUND CARBONATED. How cool is that?! They also have a lemon infused option too, which pairs fabulously with Gin as well.

Lastly, adding organic lemon wedges or a little bit of Lemon juice will help your system work toward alkalinity. There is A LOT of balancing going on in the body when we drink, and anything we can do to help is highly appreciated by our internal system. Plus, you can’t go wrong with the lemon flavour!

Great Non-alcohol Options:

Not drinking on New Years? That’s okay… you’ll definitely feel great tomorrow ;). We want you to have some non-alcoholic healthy options too! Some of our favourites:

Rise, GT, or Brew Dr. Kombucha

St. Justin’s Mineral Water

Babe’s Honey Jun

Kevita Fermented Drinks

3. Help Your Body Recover:

Used traditionally and conventionally to detox the body and help treat alcohol poisoning (which we really hope you don’t get this New Years), activated charcoal is a fantastic way to help your body rid of the toxins you’ve just put into it!! Click Here to learn more about how Activated Charcoal pulls toxins from the body! Charcoal is available in capsule form and can be consumed as directed by the label when they night is through, before you hit the hay! We promise you won’t regret this decision in the morning… It really does help. Note: You may want to set the charcoal out with a glass of water BEFORE you head out drinking for the evening. 😉

After drinking, it’s important to restore the body’s electrolytes. Many people do this through consumption of sports drinks, but those tend to have large sugar quantities and can therefore be pretty counterintuitive. Thankfully, there are some sugar-free options. A really great way to restore electrolytes is with nuun tabs. They are stevia sweetened, effervescent electrolyte tablets that dissolve in water!

The Polar Bear Swim:

A tradition known by many in various different parts of the world, is the Polar Bear Swim of January 1st. Some view this as craziness, others as bravery, and a select few as a “fun-time” lol. Interestingly enough, cold-shock therapy is an AMAZING way to reset your biology.

You’ll notice when you plunge into cold water, your body starts to naturally breathe a lot faster. This is a result of the autonomic nervous system, working hard to oxygenate your cells. This response, along with many others, is your body’s natural coping mechanism that is kicked on when we get that initial cold-shock. What we can’t see, is that in extreme cold conditions our bodies synthesize various Cold Induced Proteins (CPI’s), or cold-shock proteins that help us cope and adapt to the cold conditions. These proteins have been studied extensively in animals and humans to have a profound effect on the retention of muscle (which happens to be the “heating-engine” of the body), and the strengthening of immune function. They’ve also shown to have a profound anti-inflammatory effect on the body.

If you’re not feeling 100 percent, a total nervous system reset, anti-inflammatory response AND an immune function boost are all factors that are going to make you feel A LOT better. It’s no question that a jump into a cold-lake mid-winter is bound to wake you up, and make you feel like a whole new person, even if you’re not hungover!

*Everyone’s body metabolizes alcohol differently and therefore, someone following all of these tips is not guaranteed a hangover free morning ;). But, you’ll certainly be helping your internal organs out regardless!

More than likely this week has been a whirlwind for you! Whether a parent of a scholar-to-be, or a student yourself, it may be time to start thinking about how to support your mind & body for the long school year ahead! Here are a few of our “Back to School Essentials”:

Sisu – Stress Rescue: Focus and calm your mind & body.

Stress levels are generally on the rise in September. Your to-do list has likely doubled in size, and maybe you’re finding it hard to focus on one specific task with everything hanging over you…. Well, Stress Rescue could be for you! L-Theanine is an amino acid that naturally occurs in green tea and is fantastic for promoting focused and calm cognitive energy!

The brain is comprised mostly of fats! It only makes sense that consuming healthy oils & fats would help to enhance the health and function of our brain! Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA & DHA) are fantastic for improving cognitive function and supporting the health of this extremely important organ. DHA has been known specifically to support cognition, and that’s why Natural Factors Whole Earth & Sea Cogni-Hi-Q has formulated this amazing fish oil to provide DHA & EPA in a 3:1 ratio! Support your brain, ’cause chances are you’re gonna need it this year! 😉

Nutristart – Quick Tea: Increase your focused energy!

It can be hard to find it in you to rise early in the morning and tackle the day in the fall & winter. That’s why Nutristart Quick Tea, a green tea extract, can be a fantastic addition to your daily routine! 🙂 Green tea increases focused energy & is full of antioxidants that also support your body’s immunity. Wake up, feel energized, and stay healthy with this potent extract!

During times of stress our adrenal glands are working overtime to help us deal with the increased demands and it is important that we help our adrenals to stay healthy so they can continue to help us cope. This is why we LOVE AOR’s Ortho Adapt formula. It includes a blend of supporting adaptogenic herbs, and porcine adrenals to help support the proper function of our important stress organs!

Delicious and extremely nutritious, Bulletproof Bars are the perfect on-the-go snack or meal to take with you on your busiest days! Packed full of collagen protein and tons of healthy fats, these bars have an amazing nutrition profile to help get you through the day!

Grass-fed water buffalo meat is one of the best tasting meats with an UNREAL nutritonal profile. It is extremely high in protein, and a great source of healthy fats, iron & vitamin b12! This amazing snack is perfect for anyone to pack with them on a busy day! Pre-packaged individually for added convenience, we rarely leave the house without a caveman stick in our bags!

“Smart Drugs” have become a commonplace at a lot of post-secondary schools… If you’re reading this, you probably already know how detrimental these drugs can be for your overall health and wellbeing. Fortunately, there is a healthy alternative with no harmful side-affects that actually supports the health of your brainl! Ortho-mind is a blend of herbs and nutrients that improves cognition and brain function. It can be taken any time of day without risk of sleep interference or reducing appetite. It is the ULTIMATE study buddy :)!

St. Francis – Deep Immune: Increase your body’s immunity!

Rather inconveniently, the beginning of the school year often sparks the dreaded cold and flus that spread like wildfire throughout classrooms and households. Good news: You can do something to protect yourself! St. Francis Deep Immune tincture is a blend of potent medicinal herbs that support your body’s immune system and fight infection. Perfect as a preventative measure, or to speed up the process of restoring health so you can feel better faster!

We wish everyone a smooth back to school transition and a relatively stress-free school year! 🙂 We hope these items are helpful to keep in your toolkit for tackling this school year! Do you have any back to school immune boosters or stress formulas that you use? What’s your go-to healthy snack for busy days? Let us know! 🙂

Fire ban on? No problem! Light up some 100% beeswax candles to make up for that campfire glow.

Bee friendly – supports beekeeping industry!

Non-toxic & air purifying!

Long burning times – up to 3x longer than synthetic candles.

We hope that these Camping Essentials are helpful for you on your next outdoor adventure! 🙂 If you have any other tips or must-have products you always have on your camping list… Let us know! We love hearing tips and suggestions as much as we <3 camping!

After watching the amazing (second best ever) Summer Olympics medal haul by Canada, and being wowed again and again by human talent for an entire 2 weeks, you may be inspired to start getting back into shape after summer 😉 . What better time than now to get into a more regular routine and feel awesome?!

Here are some fitness nutrition tips and essentials that can help you get into a regular fitness routine, whatever that looks like for you!

Give your body some clean, pre-workout energy!

In order to maximize energy during a workout, a great option is to have a “pre-workout” shake. There are a lot of these on the market… The problem is, that most of them are FULL of chemicals, fillers and sugar. Sure, they’ll give you a crazy surge of energy, but they’ll also send your internal body organs into overdrive, potentially damaging them with long term use!

Good news is that there are cleaner options!

One of our favourite pre-workout powders is Vega Sport Sugar Free Energizer. This blend tastes great, is sweetened with stevia, and has some amazingly nutritious and beneficial ingredients added to help you get the most out of your workout. Vega adds rhodiola and ginseng to this blend to enhance focused energy throughout your workout. They add coconut and turmeric to increase endurance and support your body in combatting inflammation throughout exercise. This pre-workout powder comes in a delicious Lemon-Lime flavour as well as a fruity Acai Berry flavour for whatever your taste preference is.

Stay hydrated!

Staying hydrated is extremely important for our bodies, especially during physical activity. When we sweat we excrete water as well as electrolytes, and it is crucial that we replenish these stores. Drinking lots of water and taking in electrolytes throughout the day to help keep your body’s stores topped up will help you perform well during a workout, improve endurance, and support recovery. Something as simple as adding a dash of mineral rich Pink Salt, or an electrolyte tablet to your water can be extremely beneficial for ensuring optimal hydration when increasing the physical demands on your body.

One of our favourite electrolyte supplements are Nuun Electrolyte Tabs. These tabs are full of essentials vitamins and minerals. They are quick, easy, portable and taste amazing. Each tablet can be dissolved in your water bottle for a boost of electrolytes throughout the day, or during a workout!

Help speed recovery after workouts.

Post workout nutrition is extremely important both to help you make progress in your physical endeavours, and also to help boost the speed of recovery between training sessions! When we work out, we break down muscle tissue that needs to be rebuilt and repaired. Taking in a source of protein can be extremely helpful for your body as it works to make our muscles strong! Like pre-workouts, there are SO MANY post workout protein powders available that are jam packed with fillers and chemicals that must be processed by internal organs and can do more harm than good. The sourcing of protein directly correlates to the quality of the protein and how well our bodies will absorb it.

Whey protein:Whey protein is a quickly absorbed, highly bioavailable protein that is a great post-workout nutrition option! So long as you tolerate dairy well, this type of protein is our go-to post workout option. It is extremely important that the whey you use comes from a good source, however, otherwise you’d be robbing your body of many of the benefits of this superfood. What the animals consume, is essentially what we’re consuming so looking for a grass-fed source is best!

One of our favourite whey proteins is St. Francis GoPro Matrix. This amazing protein comes from goat milk, that closely resembles the properties of human milk and can generally be tolerated by most anyone, and is absorbed very quickly. This particular goat whey powder comes from grass-fed goats. The whey is processed so that all of the amazing immune boosting properties and benefits of raw milk are in-tact, which can be beneficial for anyone, especially those who are training intensely!

Plant Based Options:

If you’re someone who either doesn’t tolerate dairy well, or prefers plant-based protein sources, there are plenty of plant-sourced protein powders available. It is important to look for the sprouted and fermented varieties as we don’t tend to be able to digest the proteins in plants very easily. Fermenting and/or sprouting grains and seeds can make the nutrients inside of them far more bioavailable!

Iron Vegan Sprouted Athletes Blend is a fantastic plant based protein powder. This amazing blend is full of fantastic nutrients that will help speed recovery. The protein in this blend is sourced from fermented peas and sprouted brown rice for increased bioavailability. It also contains fermented BCAA’s, which are quickly absorbed amino acids (protein building blocks). Along with the great protein sources, the Iron Vegan Athlete’s Blend has other ingredients added to help speed recovery such as quercetin to help with inflammation, and beet root to increase blood flow. Available in a Natural Vanilla & a Rich Chocolate flavour!

Do you use any of these products? What are your favourite workout essentials or tips that keep you healthy and motivated? We love hearing from you!